April 14, 2011

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Buccaneers DE, Stylez White Interview

by Max Strauss

Stylez White played college football at University of Minnesota and after that, he entered the 2002 NFL Draft, and was drafted in the 7th round. He played for the Texans, Buccaneers, Falcons, Titans, Saints, Redskins, and Bears early in his carer. He then played in the AFL, and was the Defensive Player of the Year. After that, from 2007 to 2010 he played for the Buccaneers and totaled 137 tackles and 24 sacks. This interview was done in the spring of 2011.

Announcement : Hello, my name is Max Strauss with http://prointerviews.org/, http://facebook.com/ProInterviews/ and http://twitter.com/ProInterviews/. I’d like to welcome you to the interview with Stylez White. Stylez attended the University of Minnesota, and during the NFL Draft in 2002, he was drafted in the seventh round, 229th overall by the Houston Texans. He played on the preseason rosters of the Texans, Bucs, Falcons, Titans, Saints, Redskins, and the Bears. He then played in the AFL in 2006 and 2007. He finished the 2007 season as the Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year. He was given another chance to play in the NFL and took full advantage. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the last four seasons, he’s been known for his pass rush success and has had 24 sacks. Here is the interview with Stylez White, I hope you enjoy the collage also.

Strauss : How do you connect with your fans?

White : Mostly through twitter. Sometimes on Facebook, but mostly twitter. I’m on twitter to connect with my friends and kind of show them my lifestyle.

Strauss : If you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?

White : Right now at this particular moment, I’d like to meet Jay-Z, Charlie Sheen, and Keith Farrell.

Strauss : When you were growing up, who was your role model?

White : I didn’t really have a role model.

Strauss : What was your high school football experience like?

White : My high school football experience was easy. I can’t really explain it I guess. It was just a very good look.

Strauss : What is your favorite memory from Minnesota?

White : I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you a favorite moment I had in college.

Strauss : What was your transition like from Minnesota to the NFL?

White : It was a learning experience. It was exciting. I didn’t know what to expect. It was exciting. It was crazy. It was like . You didn’t know what was in store, because you never actually did it. All the intricate details, it was very much a learning experience.

Strauss : Throughout the first four years of your career, you switched between practice squads and being cut from teams. What really kept you motivated to stick it through?

White : People telling me that I couldn’t play. People telling me that I was not good enough. It was all about proving people wrong in my lifestyle, just proving people life.

Strauss : What’s the most important thing you learned from that experience that you think helps you now in the NFL?

White : Well, I felt like doing things my way didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. So, I kind of just did things their way. When they traded me away, and wanted me to play on third, I was like, okay, I’ll do it. I knew.

Strauss : You were Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 in the AFL, what’s it like to have the single sack record in a season in the AFL?

White : To know that you were the best defensive player in the Arena Football League, for me it was huge. I believed that I could play at a professional level, and I know that at this level I was at that I played a high level. I was named the best Defensive player of that year, and it was an amazing honor.

Strauss : Do you have a favorite memory from the Buccaneers?

White : Yeah. The day when it was a solid team. The day before it was the last cut day, and I made the roster. When I finally made it, I played my first game in the National Football League, it was against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle. It was amazing. It was surreal.

Strauss : Who’s had the most impact on your career?

White : At this point in my career, I’m a grown man. You have to do stuff on your own. To say that somebody pushed me. I mean I got a defensive lineman coach that helps me elevate my game beyond belief. But it’s just keeping my mind and my mental ability. I don’t know. I think there would be a lot of people. I would think both on and off the field.

Strauss : Why did you change your name to Stylez?

White : Really… Did you really want to ask me this question?

Strauss : Should I not?

White : Nah, you can. I changed my name mainly because one, I wanted to. I felt like my name didn’t actually hold it for me. When you google, ‘Gregory White’ or ‘Greg White’, there are a bunch of ‘Greg Whites’ that show up. But, when you google, ‘Stylez’, there is only one ‘Stylez White’ that shows up and that’s me. There’s that part of it. I was a junior in high school. My name didn’t mean what it could be for me, so I changed it. It had nothing to do with football. That’s all that was.

Strauss : Do you have a favorite charity or foundation that you support?

White : I’m on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club. I have my foundation, ‘The Better Us Foundation’. That’s to help children develop their skills in reading. I’m trying to get into that and add a little motion to it right now. I need to figure out what I need to do and do it right.

Strauss : Do you have a favorite quote?

White : I have a bunch of favorite quotes to be perfectly honest with you. Charlie Sheen said, ‘It’s lonely at the top but I like the view.” That’s one of my favorite ones as of right now. ‘I’d rather die enormous then die dormant.’ That’ s another one that I like. What else… I like the slick-talk sayings. Those are a couple of them right now. Those are my favorite quotes right now. Off hand, I can’t tell you anything else.

Strauss : If you could describe yourself as any ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?

White : Ice cream flavor… That’s dope! Uh… An ice cream flavor… I would like to say that the ice cream flavor I am is a chocolate gelato only because has more, from what I understand, more upscale ice cream as possible. I’d be gelato chocolate, of course! It’d have to be chocolate.

Strauss : For someone who wants to play in the NFL, what’s the best advice you can give them?

White : Oh, just do things the right way. Sometimes you’re going to be in the league and think doing it your way is the right way, and when that time comes just look out for it. But, to make it in the NFL, you have to do things their way. At least you did it their way.

Strauss : Is there anything you want to tell your fans that we have not talked about?

White : I try to play at chess. I suck at chess, but I try my best. I don’t know. I really don’t have anything pretty much.